Our brains process visual content 60,000 times faster than text-based content, making it a more effective way to capture the attention of an audience. Captivating photos and catchy headlines are increasingly used as points of engagement in our rapidly evolving digital culture. Visual content is so powerful that infographics can increase traffic by 12% compared to publishers who don’t use them. And for today’s digital savvy consumers, infographics are excellent tools that deliver useful information in a way that’s both visually pleasing and easily digestible.

Infographics started to come onto the scene in 2009, with popularity growing rapidly in 2011 and continuing to grow into current times. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Gareth Cook curated a book called, The Best American Infographics 2013. The Harvard Business Review summarizes his outlook as follows: “The most compelling infographics, he says, mine relationships among overlooked variables to tell you something unexpected and get you thinking. … The least effective confuse you (the food pyramid), overwhelm you with data (nutrition labels), or are just plain boring.”

5 Tips for Creating Great Infographics

So, what makes an effective infographic? Here are five guidelines to follow:

Tell a StorySimilar to a great piece of literature or journalism, an infographhic should tell a story.

A basic story arc is written in a comfortable and satisfying structure for readers. It can be helpful to outline your ideas. Start by introducing the premise that you are discussing, then explain the problem or explain why this topic matters. Establish context by providing any relevant information or background. Have at least one substantial data set where you’ve crunched the numbers to distill out some juicy nuggets of data. Then wrap it up with a conclusion or a call to action.

Know Your AudienceBusiness CEOs and millennials likely come to information with different baselines of understanding. A business exec might already have a handle on global trade policies, but a graphic geared towards general audiences may need a little more background.

The aesthetics of a piece should mirror your target audience. Company presidents are less likely to share emoji-esque content with their board of directors; on the other hand, college kids might not be as attracted to stoic minimalism.

Make Sure Your Infographic is InformativeThe impact of your infographic comes from the information that it presents. Even if the piece is well designed and beautifully illustrated, when there is no substantial data behind it, readers will dismiss it.

People value and share content that is enlightening or gives them something new to think about. Source some interesting information, run some calculations, and pull together statistics that offer a new way of thinking about something. Good data is key to an effective infographic.

A note on sourcing your data: Stay focused. Once you get into the numbers, you might start to find really great bits of information that veer off topic. Stay on course with the data you use. Don’t be afraid to combine complementary data sets offering alternate points of view, while still staying relevant. Keep in mind that your focus pays off with a more powerful infographic.

Always be sure to double check your information for accuracy. If you’re building a graphic that is based on incorrect information, you’ll fail before you even begin. Start by checking your spreadsheet to make sure that all of your formulas are accurate and that you didn’t mis-sort your data. Also, do a reality check to see if your findings “sound about right.” Don’t shy away from asking an expert to confirm that your numbers are accurate.

Make It VisualThe biggest goal of an infographic is to make information visually appealing. A spreadsheet or a dry set of numbers is not very engaging and a bit boring. However, if you transform that into a bar chart, all of a sudden the trends become more clear, and readers will easily comprehend the meaning of what you’re communicating.

It’s essential to match the correct type of visualization to the kind of data set that you have. Is your number part of a whole? If so, then a pie chart would be appropriate. Is the focus on how things change over time? Then, a line graph might work well. Are you trying to show the relationship between different data points? Give a bar chart a try.

To create your infographic, there are many tools and resources to choose from. You could work with software like Adobe Illustrator to build something from scratch. if you’re aware of your limitations with visual presentation, seek out online tools like infographic templates. For the highest level of assistance, find a design firm or graphic designer to aid you in the process of making your information visual. Of course,the iContact Design Services team is always ready and willing to design any custom work for you. Give us a call anytime!

Good DesignAs you think about your design, consider the old saying: “form follows function.” Unique and creative graphics are wonderful, but it’s more important to be accurate and easily understood. The smoother the presentation, the less friction the reader will experience when processing the information presented.

Always be sure that your text is large enough, legible, and appropriately colored. Contrasting colors can go a long way in making information appear organized and easily legible. Make sure any of your elements are in alignment so the graphic is in harmony and not chaotic.

Be sure to use visual variety both in terms of the types of charts used and the size of the content presented. Having larger-sized callouts and numbers makes it easy for people who are skimming the data to sift out information. Boldly presented points will more effectively hook the audience into reading more detailed points.

Building infographics is an effective and fun way to connect with your audience and grow your brand. While it may seem like an intimidating task at first, give it a try. Even using a simple graphic to augment your written content can have a major impact.

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